According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) request, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 5E told the DC
Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) that an “overwhelming majority” of
residents living in the area surrounding historic landmark McMillan Park
supported a commercial developer’s plans to turn the 25 acres of contiguous
open green space into a mixed-use development featuring one million square feet
of medical office space and about 150 townhouses.

The claim of community support was made by Commissioner Dianne
Barnes, then Chair of ANC 5E, in official testimony submitted to the HPRB and
presented in person at a hearing in November 2013. FOIA documents reveal that shortly after the
hearing, Tania Jackson, then principal of Create Communitas, an outreach
consultancy firm working for the development project team, asked Commissioner
Barnes how many letters she had received in support of the proposed project.
Commissioner Barnes, according to the documents, said that she had received
eight such letters of support. Create Communitas was paid almost $90,000 by the
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to coordinate
public outreach for the project.

A review of HPRB files indicates that the Board received written
testimony from 25 individuals and organizations in support of the plan to
develop the McMillan Park site. In contrast, at least 80 people and
organizations registered their disapproval of the project plans with HPRB. The
Board also received petitions signed by 610 people opposed to the project. ANC
5E did not explain the basis for its claim of “overwhelming” community support
for the project.

The ANC’s overblown claims are another example of how the
coordinated attempt to destroy McMillan Park has abused procedures intended to
protect DC historic properties.

The documents on which this article is based were obtained by
Kirby Vining after he brought suit under the District of Columbia Freedom of
Information Act. The District Government delayed complying with the Act by over
a year and earned a reprimand from Judge Stuart Nash, as reported here in a
previous article. Mr. Vining was represented by Don Padou, a lawyer
specializing in FOIA suits.

The article above is based on documents 002775 and 010558
available in the “Barnes FOIA Documents” folder at the following location: